Switch Zoo

  1. Go to Switch Zoo by typingswitchzoo.cominto the address line of your browser.
  2. The zoo game will open and you'll see the entrance scene and hear the music playing. In the distance, you can see all of the different habitats in which the animals live.
  3. Wait until you see the map, which is a big rock with colorful buttons showing the nine central animals. Click on the button for the animal that you want to use as your main animal. This choice will determine what body your switcheroo will have, as well as the landscape in which it will stand.
  4. You will see a path scene on your way to the habitat.
  5. When you arrive in the habitat, click on one of the nine buttons that depict animals' heads in the upper row on the fence or in the Quick Switch panel in the sign on the left. (Use the scroller to see all the choices). The animal's head will change into the new animal you selected. Or you can leave the original head of your animal as it is.
  6. When you are finished choosing the head, look at the lower row of buttons and you will see a little diagram of an animal's body that is separated into three parts: "Head, "Legs" and "Tail". Click on the "Legs" button.
  7. Notice that the upper row of buttons and the Quick Switch panel now show images of each animal's legs. Click on one and watch your animal change. Try clicking other buttons and decide which legs you want for your switcheroo.
  8. Now move on to the selection of tails, by clicking the "Tail" button in the lower row. (If at any time you don't like the choices you have made, simply click on a different body part in the lower row and select a new part).
  9. If you decide to use a different animal body, you can click the "Map" button in the lower row. That will take you back to the map where you started and you can go to a new animal habitat from there. Or you can click the "Animal List" button which will let you make a new animal and go to a new habitat at the same time. Then just click the button for the animal you want to make or visit.
  10. Now that you have completed your creation, you are ready to print. Click the Photo button on the fence to enter the Photo Workshop. You can include a title and story in your print, you can choose to print the zoo's facts along with your animal, or you can turn them all of and print your animal with no text.
  11. After you are satisfied with your text choices, click the Print button.
  12. Now you are finished creating and printing your unique animal.

Name Your Animal

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1.Below list the diverse animals that comprise your switcheroo:
Body:
/ Head:
Legs:
/ Tail:
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For example:
Body: Cheetah
Head: Zebra
Legs: Zebra
Tail: Cheetah /

2.In order to create the common name of your switcheroo, combine the common names of the animals you have used to compose your switcheroo.For example: I have combined a cheetah and a zebra. Some common names I could use for my switcheroo include:

CheeZe / TahZeTah
ZeebraChee / BraZeTah
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Your Animal’s name is ______

Now that you have created and named your animal, you are ready to equip him or her with distinctive characteristics.

Whether you joined two, three or four mammals, this new animal is a combination of the various characteristics of more than one creature. You will determine your new animal's characteristics based on those of the source animals.

Start by researching each of the animals in your combination. You can scroll down the page to see what you will need to know. Click in the box below for links to sites where you can find the information.

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Based on the animals that comprise your switcheroo, Is your animal a

Herbivore (plant eater)? / Carnivore (meat eater)? / Omnivore (meat and plant eater)?
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Describe some of the foods your switcheroo eats:

Is your animal a mammal, bird, fish, reptile, amphibian, arthropod, insect, or mollusk?

Identify the environment in which your switcheroo lives. Click one of the following choices:

Tropical / Arctic / Forest
Desert / Savannah / Aquatic

Next, write a paragraph that describes your switcheroo's environment. Be sure to include specific details in your description.

What kinds of habits does your animal exhibit?

Sleeping: Is your switcheroo awake at night (nocturnal) or during the day? Does he or she sleep out in the open, in a cave, or in a hole?
Describe your switcheroo's social life. Does he or she travel in a pack or alone? Does he or she depend on family members? For food? For love?
Does your switcheroo migrate during certain times of the year? When?
Does your switcheroo hibernate? If so, then for what length of time? Six weeks? Six months? During what season?

What kinds of sounds does your switcheroo make? Does he or she bark, growl, roar, yip, squeal, screech?

What is the expected life span of your switcheroo?

Describe some common habits that your switcheroo exhibits.

Is he or she a wild or domesticated animal? Please explain.

Is your animal prey, a predator, or both?

Poem – Write a funny poem about your Switcheroo Bottom of Form

Be sure to describe your creature's feeding habits, sleep habits, social life, peculiar sounds, etc.
Your poem should be four to eight lines in length.
Example:CheeZe
CheeZe eats green macaroni.
CheeZe eats leaves and bologna.
She purrs and gallops, growls and trots.
She's candy cane covered with bright red spots.

Poem

2. Type or Write a short story about a day in the life of your switcheroo.
Here are some prompts/questions to get you started.
How would you describe the setting or locale that your creature calls home?
Remember, your creature's habitat can be realistic or extraordinary. For example, if he or she lives in a forest, the trees might be made of gold; it might rain oranges and bananas; the streams could be made of soda, etc.
What adventures and activities does he or she enjoy?
Does your creature prefer to play with friends or challenge a monster or enemy?
Is your switcheroo lazy, hungry, angry? If so, how does he or she express these feelings?
What are your switcheroo's characteristic movements and sounds?
Does he or she run, leap, lunge, charge, lumber, saunter or slither?
Does he or she growl, roar, whimper, hiss, bark, snort, bellow, purr, slurp or snore?
Finally, describe your imaginary creature's extraordinary appearance. Be sure to include the oddest and most humorous details of his or her appearance.
3. Create a drawing of your switcheroo's habitat.
Does he or she live in the woods, near water, in the backyard?
Remember to consider the habitat of each of the animals in your switcheroo. Use your imagination and combine different habitats in one scene. For example, a switcheroo with a bear's body, a dog's head and a monkey's legs and tail might live in a house that has jungle plants in the living room and a frozen tundra in the basement.